Burn
by thatsyou
Summary: We burn because the night is unpredictable. We ignite, we burn inside and ask: what’s out there? Why do you burn?


Title: Burn

Author: devilishheat

Theme: 24 – Kiss

Rating: PG-13

Summary: We burn because the night is unpredictable. We ignite, we burn inside and ask: what's out there? Why do you burn?

When all of that is finished, she hangs up and stares blankly at the wooden furniture in her bedroom. Dark shadows forming in the mirror. Everything had changed since the call earlier. Tony called her to come over because of a stupid reason. Since he invented it the 'can't sleep' reason is still available.

When all of that is finished, he throws the phone absently over the soft mattress and stares blankly at the ceiling, waiting for his assistant to come over and bring his medicine. It's almost lethal – living without her. How many times he'd asked her to just simply move in, because it's easier when he finds a reason to bother her, to come to him without making almost an hour to his place.

The whole idea started when he went to his bed – finally, after fourteen hours of working on the suit and repairing the damaged helmet. The kink-sized bed stood there untouched by a human being for at least a week, if Tony could even remember the last time he slept in his own bed. Not to mention, he couldn't remember when he actually took a good nap. It seemed like an eternity if you thought at it. Jarvis had advised him to go to bed before Tony unplugged him.

He actually made the call himself, not remembering the last time he did so, but it felt good in a strange manner. When he needed her, no, wanted her to be there with him, he'd tell Jarvis to call her, but tonight it felt different. It felt like he was the one to make the call. It sounded a bit too far from the truth but when he had her there with him, nothing else mattered.

When Tony thought she wasn't paying attention when she worked, he would look at her – stare at her maybe. In a unique way because when she didn't notice, he'd keep staring until his ultra-fast heartbeat would wake him into reality. If that's called love, Tony Stark didn't dare to ask himself why it felt so good when it's supposed to be wrong. His past didn't showed not a single woman, who actually slept with him twice. And that was the awful truth – for the rest of the women not hiding from a possible one-night stand with him, but good for his status now.

One night, at a charity auction, a reporter asked Tony if his playboy life would ever come again in attention, despite the signs of calming down. His answer was quite funny, he said that if a woman would dare to come to him and ask if he'd sleep with her, his answer would be: I'll present you to my friend. He's called go away and not ask me anything like that ever again. His response shocked the reporter who managed to say a silent 'thank you' between high gasps.

The next day was much funnier because all the newspapers titled: Tony Stark says no to one-night stands. The article was followed by a few photos of him being in three different phases. In the first one he was barely keeping his walk straight, being so drunk that no one would ever reckon him as that stupid creature. In the second he was partially hidden by a large bush but you could still notice that he had his hand between the legs of a super-excited woman. And finally, in the third one, it was a photo of Pepper and him dancing at the Firefighter's benefit. Beneath the photo it was written in italics 'Is this a sign, Stark is settling down?' It well may be but that time he didn't even know exactly how he felt.

But now – he finally found his purpose on this goddamned Earth.

Knock – knock, his eyes open at the sudden sound.

"Come in."

The click of the door closing, made him rise up from his position.

"Do you need me, Mr. Stark?"

He blinked two times before clearing his throat.

"Well…" He said, scratching the top of his head.

"I can't sleep."

Tony would say that he sounded pathetic but in Pepper's eyes his statement didn't have the same meaning. He sat down on the bed and pulled the blankets around his cold body, hoping that Pepper would understand. Since the incident at the Firefighter's benefit, Tony found himself wanting more and more every time. One night when Pepper fell asleep in his house, he took her in his arms and quietly moved her in his bed, covering her body with warm blankets and tugged her under them.

He had to fight with his desire to get in the bed and take her in his arms then, but if he did so maybe she would've slapped him.

Then…

But now, he was hoping she would do the same thing for him.

"Tony?"

Pepper heard him sniff and felt her feet moving her towards the bed. She placed her hand on Tony's bare shoulder and turned him so he could face her.

"What happened?" She asked, while slowly moved her fingers on his shoulder.

" 'm cold." He whimpered, tugging the blanked harder.

"Do you want me to get another blanket?"

"No."

His answer shocked her for a moment but she expected that – in the far corners of her mind.

She looked him in the eyes and saw a lost Tony. Without a warning she pressed a brief kiss on his cheek and moved under the blankets with him. Pepper noticed that he was looking at her intently after she kissed his cheek. He dragged her closer to him, now their bodies were pressed into each other.

The intense feeling, Pepper felt now, was the same Tony was experiencing in those moments. He rested his arm on her waist, not maintaining the line they usually didn't cross as his fingers moved in little seductive circles over her spine. God, how he loved her when she was reacting like this. He decided to do more about it, and trapped her feet between his. The intimacy of this moment left them both unable to speak for a couple of minutes.

But Pepper spoke first.

"Why are you doing this, Tony?"

It's not just lust, is more than that, he thought.

"I couldn't sleep. And if I look into your eyes I feel like I'm drowning." He sighed. "And God, you're gorgeous."

Pepper blushed and turned her eyes to the paint who was on Tony's wall.

"Pepper?"

"Yes?"

She asked turning her head to him.

His right hand came to rest on her shoulder and up. His fingers draw a line on her jaw before resting in her strawberry-blonde hair. They looked in their eyes and slowly Tony leaned, but slowly because he didn't want to scare her, firstly and because he wanted their first kiss to last.

The look in Tony's eyes made Pepper shiver. It was the same look he had on the rooftop when they almost kissed. It was full of pure love. It frightened her to know that the man standing with her, bodies pressed into each others, was capable of feeling that.

He looked for a second more, waiting for her to let him. It wasn't fair for Pepper. All those lines were about to be crossed but hell – she won't be stubborn not to recognize that she wanted this. More than anything else, maybe not but still. It was the first step to encourage their relationship. When she felt she was ready, she dragged him even more closer, dangerously.

Her eye-lids closed when his lips touched hers in a gentle way. His kiss was gentle but yet desperate. Hell, she waited this for a long time, she won't go back.

The kiss was a bit hesitant but when she pulled him on the top of her, Tony took this as an encouragement and kissed her passionately before her legs encircled his waist, pulling him closer. When they broke the kiss, Tony rested his head on her forehead and looked deep in her eyes. He looked amused.

"What?" Pepper asked innocently.

"I was wondering what would've happened if I would've bring you your vodka martini." He said smirking like the devil while his lips covered hers for the second time in his life.

When their hungry kiss was finished, he took her hand in his and entwined their fingers.

"I love you."

**Reviews**

**I was working on the seventh chapter on No Air and had the idea on making this.**


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